


you were needed at my side

by lovelyjo



Category: Not Another D&D Podcast (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode 84 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21585697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyjo/pseuds/lovelyjo
Summary: The Boobs arrive back on the Material Plane.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	you were needed at my side

They arrive back on the material plane and Hardwon breathes a sigh of relief. As much fun as the first layer of Hell was, things had gotten extremely shitty extremely fast. He’s really, really glad to be back home. 

It feels like it’s been months since they were on the astral plane, but it’s really only been a few days. Every part of his life since walking into that tavern in Moonstone has felt simultaneously like a blink and a lifetime. He wonders how Alanis must feel, having lived so many lives full of so much shit. 

Hardwon is fully ready to pass out in this forest Pendergreens dropped them into; he’s got no idea where they are or where they should be going but he’s bone fucking tired. He just wants to snuggle with his friends and dream away the Nine Hell and Thiala and the God Husks for a while. (If his brain will let him.) 

Beverly and Balnor have already sat in the dirt, clearly feeling what Hardown is feeling. He goes to join them and waits for Moonshine to pop up Melora’s Marvelous Stump so they could all climb into the bed. 

But Moonshine is pacing, absentmindedly scratching at Paw Paw’s ears. “Y’all, I really don’t feel good about this.” She gives a look of uncertainty that Hardwon rarely ever sees from Moonshine. 

“No, this is good,” Beverly says. “We have 30 more days to kill Thiala and the God Husks and then we can decide what to do. We shouldn’t be making that decision on a whim.” 

“I wasn’t making it on a _whim_ , Young Bev,” Moonshine says. 

Hardwon can feel the anxiety and frustration waving off of Moonshine. Hardwon marvels at everything his life has become. They’re deciding who should be put on the throne of the Nine Hells. He’s sitting with Alanis of the Legendary Heroes. He’s planning to kill a fucking god. 

“Someone has to take over the Nine Hells, and we shouldn’t be handing it over to someone with ‘betrayer’ in his name. Y’all know how much I like Pendergreens, but we’re just asking for trouble leaving him down there. That’s another mess we have to clean up.” 

She huffs and plops on the ground next to Hardwon. Paw Paw scrambles from her bib into her lap, his tail smacking into Hardwon. 

“I’m sorry, Moonshine. I didn’t mean on a whim. I just meant we shouldn’t have had to make it so quickly. We’ll be prepared next time. In 30 days.” Bev looks sheepish. Hardwon gives him a subtle thumbs up. 

Alanis sits down too, takes a huge drag of a joint she pulled out of her pocket and passes it to Hardwon. “I agree with Moonshine. Thiala and Ulfgar and me, we already made that mistake. You guys have been doing a much better job than us so far, but this is something that’s gonna come back to bite us in the ass and fast. What if we don’t kill Thiala in 30 days?” 

She leans back and rests on her hands. Hardwon wouldn’t call himself perceptive but it’s hard to miss how haggard Alanis looks. Her hair is piled in a frizzy bun on the top of her head, thick chunks falling out onto her back. Her clothes are askew and there are heavy bags under her eyes. 

“God, I’m so fucking tired,” she says. “Maybe I should just go back there, kill him, and take the crown. Then it’d be over and I could just rest.” 

Hardwon passes the blunt back to her.

Moonshine moves over to Alanis, grabs her arm and looks her straight in the face. “That is _not_ going to happen. We need you in the fight against Thiala. You still have things to do. Ulfgar is out there somewhere, waiting for you.” 

Moonshine’s face hardens, her eyes steely. “It’s gonna be me. I’ll do it.” 

Hardwon feels the same sinking he felt when Moonshine picked up the crown in Hell. He feels like he can’t breathe, like he’s being drowned by some unknown heaviness in the air. Hardwon glances over at Bev and he looks terrified too. He looks younger than he’s ever seen him. 

“Moonshine, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I--” Hardwon clears his throat. Walls up. “We need you here. Do you really think we could survive this next fight without you? You were calling all the shots down there. We don’t win without you, Moonshine.” 

Beverly sniffles and wipes his face on his sleeve. “Moonshine, I can’t lose you, okay? I killed my _Dad_ yesterday. I can’t lose you, too.” 

Balnor wraps an arm around Beverly. “It’s okay, Bev,” he says. 

Moonshine’s face softens. “Oh, youngin’.” She shifts over to Beverly and pets his hair. “I’m sorry, Bev. I just know it’s the right thing to do. The world needs all of you too much and I can handle it. It’s my responsibility.” 

Hardwon doesn’t understand where this is coming from. He’s honestly fine with leaving Pendergreens as King of Hell even beyond the 30 days while geas is on him if it means none of them have to trap themselves in Hell. They’ll deal with the problem if it comes to that-- no one has to stay behind. 

“I’m fine with leaving Pendergreens there. He got, like, better in the gem, right? If he becomes a problem, I have no doubt that we can just fucking kill him.” 

“And then we’re back to _this_ problem. Again.” Moonshine looks at him directly this time, with the same intensity she was giving to Alanis. “We could just end it right now. Or in 30 days.” 

He knows what she’s implying. The mix of feelings he has for Moonshine and the fucked-up nature of the conversation flip his stomach. “Moonshine. It’s not-- it’s not just about winning the fight against Thiala. I don’t want you to do it. None of us want you to do it.” 

She laughs, but it’s got no humor behind it. “I don’t want to spend eternity in hell, either, Hardwon but someone has to. Y’all have _people_ for you. Like Erlin, or Ulfgar. I don’t-- I love the Cricks and my dad and everyone but they all have someone else too. It’s okay if it’s me.” 

Something like anger bubbles in Hardwon’s stomach. “I don’t have anyone else either, Moonshine. Gemma’s dead, my mom is in Shadowfell forever, my dad maybe kinda sucked and Uncle Red was never there for me. I have Beverly, I have Balnor, I have Alanis right now, and I have you. You’re who I’m going to have when this is all over. I don’t want to lose any of you and I’m fine with making a mistake to keep you here.” Hardwon swallows the impulse to stop there. “I guess you don’t feel the same way about us that we feel about you.” 

Moonshine looks surprised, her mouth hanging open for a second. “No! It’s just, I-- I can’t have it be any of you either. I love y’all too much.” 

“I lost my life a long time ago, Moonshine. All I’ve been doing for the past five lifetimes is working to fix the mistakes me and Ulfgar and Thiala made. I feel like it’s _my_ responsibility. And I just want you guys to win.” Alanis takes another hit, blowing the smoke out in a slow exhale. 

Beverly sniffles again. “I’m sorry, guys, I can’t talk about this anymore. Can we-- can we just go to bed?” 

Hardwon is thankful for the interruption. This is too much for him too. 

“Yeah, of course, youngin’, I’m sorry. I’ll set up the stump.” 

Hardwon leans over to Alanis. “Hey, Al.” She gives him a look he can’t decipher. “Where are we?” 

“We’re in a forest not far from Irondeep.” She looks at him. “You don’t recognize it?” 

“I didn’t really get out of Irondeep until I did, you know?” 

She laughs. “That makes sense.” 

He realizes they’re probably on their way to Irondeep tomorrow, which is bringing up some other feelings he’s really not ready to deal with tonight. 

“Have you been to Irondeep before? Or did you just do some magic and figure out where we are?” he asks. 

“I did do some magic but I think I’ve been everywhere there is to go in Bahumia.” She laughs again. “I’m old as fuck.” 

It’s not funny but he laughs anyway, some of the weight lifted off of his shoulders. 

“C’mon, let’s get to bed,” Moonshine calls. Bev and Balnor have already gone in the stump, Moonshine standing outside waiting for them to come. 

“Well, goodnight Hardwon, Moonshine. Thanks for following me into Hell. I’ll see you in the morning.” Alanis swipes a hand through her hair, tussling it even more than it was already. 

Moonshine gives a soft look over to Alanis. “Come in the stump with us tonight, Alanis. You’re one of the boobs now.” 

Alanis looks surprised. “I, uh, I’m okay with my mansion. I don’t want to, like, intrude or anything.” 

“We just got through Hell.” Moonshine says. “We’ve got a hell of a lot more to do. Come rest with us.” 

Hardwon nods at her. “It’s a good post-battle situation. And pre-battle situation.” 

Alanis nods back, smiling slightly. “Thanks, Moonshine.” 

They walk into stump’s one bedroom where Beverly, Balnor and Paw Paw are already asleep, Bev and Balnor sleeping foot to face. Hardwon laughs at Balnor’s snoring and climbs in the bed, settling in. The bed isn’t quite big enough for all of them, forcing a mess of limbs all pressed together. It’s comforting. 

Hardwon looks over at Moonshine and smiles at her. “I’m really glad you’re still here, Moonshine,” he drawls, sleep already clouding his brain. 

Moonshine mumbles something next to him but he’s too close to sleep to hear it. He’ll ask her in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo Moonshine trying to take the crown sure was something, huh? I was thinking about how she's talked about not really fitting with the Cricks despite how much she loves them and how Bev and Hardwon have people in their life in a way that she's just never had. I think the situation has kind of changed since the last time she talked about it, but I think it's probably why she was so willing to take the crown. And Alanis, who has worked so hard to see the Boobs succeed also offered immediately. 
> 
> I just want to see them all happy and rested.
> 
> Title from Easy Now by Joan Shelley!
> 
> You can find me @galfast on tumblr if you want to talk about naddpod!


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